Chapter 25

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Tang Feng sipped his tea melodramatically amidst their angry glares before continuing.

“It’s quite simple, Mr. Dongpo’s writing is elegant and unrestrained, not sticking to any particular form,” he said.

“However, this piece of writing, while deliberately imitating that style, appears to be constrained by rules with every stroke.”

“Although the imitation is good, it can only mimic the form, not the spirit…”

After Tang Feng explained his reasoning, he looked back at the two of them to see a hint of surprise on their faces.

“Did I say something wrong?” he asked, puzzled, looking at Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Zhang snapped out of his daze, his expression complex, “You just glanced at it and saw all that?”

Tang Feng raised an eyebrow, “Doesn’t seem too difficult, does it?”

Mr. Zhang’s mouth twitched noticeably.

When he first encountered this piece of calligraphy, he had studied it for several days and had even consulted a few big shots from the Zhonghai Antique Circle before he dared to declare that this was not a genuine piece by Su Dongpo.

This… also counts as not difficult?

It was precisely because of this that Tang Feng, after just a few glances, offered such a verdict and stunned him so much.

Regardless of whether the other party could answer the question correctly, relying solely on this perception, he had far surpassed him.

And what was more unbelievable was that someone so young possessed such keen sight.

His future was boundless!

Qin Yanan, standing nearby, was also in disbelief as she looked at Tang Feng.

Of course, she knew the details about this piece of writing, which is why she had thought that Mr. Zhang was giving Tang Feng a hard time.

But who knew, this guy, after just a few glances, had outdone several days of Mr. Zhang’s research.

Wasn’t that a bit exaggerated?

“So, you think this piece is a forgery?” Mr. Zhang was the first to regain his composure, looking calmly at Tang Feng.

“I never said it was a fake,” Tang Feng protested, waving his hands.

Mr. Zhang looked even more surprised, “Didn’t you say that this wasn’t Mr. Dongpo’s original piece? If it’s not the original, isn’t it a forgery?”

Tang Feng immediately waved his hand, “Not the original, but does that necessarily make it a forgery?”

Mr. Zhang appeared more puzzled, “If it’s neither the original nor a forgery, what is it then?”

“An imitation,” said Tang Feng immediately, “This should be a copyist’s work. Judging by the age, it should be a Qing Dynasty copyist’s work.”

Mr. Zhang’s eyes suddenly lit up, “Then can you tell who the copyist is?”

Tang Feng looked at him speechlessly, “You’re kind of putting me on the spot here. The Qing Dynasty lasted nearly three hundred years and had a population of hundreds of millions. To find a copyist from that crowd is like looking for a needle in a haystack, isn’t it?”

Mr. Zhang immediately laughed at his words, “I admit, that was a tough question for you. The fact that you could answer so much already far exceeds my expectations. Even if you can’t guess the identity of the copyist, it really doesn’t matter. I hereby announce…”

“I only said you were putting me on the spot, I didn’t say I couldn’t guess,” Tang Feng suddenly interrupted.

“What? You can guess the identity of the copyist?” This time Mr. Zhang was not just surprised, but somewhat astonished.

As Tang Feng said, the history of the Qing Dynasty spanned around three hundred years. To say nothing of how many literati there were, there were countless calligraphers known by name alone.

Finding that particular copyist from among them truly was like searching for a needle in the ocean.

Yet Tang Feng claimed he knew the identity of the copyist.

This was somewhat inconceivable.

“So, who is the copyist?” Mr. Zhang picked up the teacup, intending to take a sip to calm his shock.

“Xu Yuanli!”

Tang Feng stated an extremely obscure name, startling Mr. Zhang so much that his hand shook and the teacup clattered to the ground, shattering into pieces.

“How did you know?” he burst out, standing up as if he had seen a ghost.

Qin Yanan, standing beside them, also had her mouth wide open, staring in disbelief at Tang Feng.

Tang Feng observed their expressions, the corner of his mouth curling with an almost imperceptible smile, “So, I guessed right?”

“I’m asking you, how did you guess?” Mr. Zhang’s expression was very eager, wanting to know the answer.

You see, although Xu Yuanli was extremely talented in calligraphy, he was not well-known.

Even many people well-versed in calligraphy might not know this name.

And yet, Tang Feng not only mentioned the name but was certain that the imitation was made by him.

This was somewhat unimaginable.

“Well, about that…”

Tang Feng realized his actions were perhaps a bit too shocking, and hurriedly scrambled for an excuse, “It’s quite a coincidence, actually, I just happened to have studied Xu Yuanli’s calligraphy recently. I felt that his strokes were robust, his style graceful and distinctively strong.”

Pointing at the scroll on the table, he continued, “Even though he tried to conceal his own style in these characters, that kind of artistic conception cannot be hidden. So, I made a wild guess—is it accurate, I wonder?”

Mr. Zhang stared at him, murmuring to himself, “A genius, could there really be such a genius in this world? It’s beyond imagination!”

Tang Feng, flattered, feigned ignorance, “So, I guessed correctly?”

Qin Yanan, standing next to him, hugged his arm excitedly, “You’re right, after research, Mr. Zhang also determined that this piece was copied by Xu Yuanli. Tang Feng, you’re truly amazing.”

Tang Feng’s arm was nestled between her tender embrace, his heart immediately warming, and he hurriedly grabbed his teacup to take a sip to calm himself down a bit.

“Who would have thought Mr. Zhang could also figure out the copyist of this piece? Old ginger is still spicier!”

He gave a somewhat guilty thumbs-up.

He had merely cheated, after all, and had no real skill.

Mr. Zhang, without the system, had actually managed to find the copyist of the original work, and that was genuine skill.

Mr. Zhang, embarrassed, shook his head, “I don’t have Mr. Tang’s abilities. It was only after I asked the seller of this piece, who said he was a descendant of Xu Yuanli, that I started to study Xu’s calligraphy. It took another half a month of research and comparison to finally establish the identity of the copyist. Comparing to Mr. Tang, I’m not even worthy.”/p>

Upon hearing his explanation, Tang Feng was at a loss for words.

The title of prodigy might just stick to him, as it seemed impossible to shake off now.